text:
Paola Gold Half Pebble Cuff Ring
Say hello to the GOLD PAOLA HALF PEBBLE CUFF RING
Fine details:
Hallmarked 9ct Yellow Gold
Each and every piece from our Paola Collection is made to order, just for you. The pebbles like details are formed using traditional techniques of melting silver into perfect molten silver granules. These are then rolled through our very old, but trusty rolling mill, creating the unique Paola accent details on the surface of each pebble.
Please allow up to 14 working days for production before posting, and please note there may still be delays with materials and packaging during time.
In a hurry or looking for a custom pair made in a different precious metal of your choice, please get in contact via our Contacts page to see what we can do.
All UK orders are posted Special Delivery and out-with the UK, Tracked and Signed.


text:
Patiently, Pro-lifers Maneuver To End Partial-Birth Abortion
WASHINGTON—Behind the scenes, Congress has begun considering how to override President Bill Clinton's veto of the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act (HR 1122).
This will be the second round of a political showdown that began in 1996 when Sen. Rick Santorum (RPa.) challenged the late-term procedure known in the medical industry as intact dilation and extraction (D&X) on the floor of the Senate. Since the method involves killing a child that has been delivered in a breech fashion up to its neck, many—including U.S. bishops, lawmakers, and physicians— have termed it infanticide.
At every step in the drawn-out struggle, support for the ban has grown. When the president vetoed the measure for the second time Oct. 10, it had won by a veto-proof margin (296-132) in the House of Representatives, and passed the Senate only three votes shy of the necessary two-thirds majority to override a veto (64-36).
While many Democratic senators have been persuaded to support the ban, including Minority Leader Tom Daschle of South Dakota, and senior statesman Daniel Patrick Moynihan of New York, at least eight self-identified Catholic members of the Senate, some from the most heavily Catholic areas of the country, have opposed the ban and voted to uphold the president's veto. Sens. Christopher Dodd (DConn.), Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.), John Kerry (D-Mass.), Richard Durbin (D-Ill.), Carol Moseley-Braun (D-Ill.), Barbara MikuIski (D-Md.), and Mary Collins (R-Maine) all support keeping legal the practice of partial-birth abortion. Even Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.), who represents the only state in which Catholics are a majority of the population, voted to keep it legal.
The allegiance of so many Catholic legislators to the "pro-choice" camp is perhaps the most distressing aspect of this political struggle for pro-life organizers. Why the contradiction? Why do politicians who publicly list themselves as Catholics, vote against the Catholic position on abortion issues?
Various senators make different arguments to justify their support for partial-birth abortion, but virtually all cite two broad arguments: The need to defer to the rulings of the Supreme Court, and the (former New York Gov.) Mario Cuomo argument, that while "personally opposed" to abortion, the decision to have an abortion should be reserved to the individual involved. Unfortunately, this opinion resonates with many people—including Catholics.
That is not to say that all Americans favor the present "abortion-on-demand" philosophy in the United States. A recent public-opinion analysis of the abortion issue sheds light on this topic. Carll Ladd and Karlyn Bowman, polling experts at the American Enterprise Institute, a Washington-based think tank, argue that, based on polls published in the last 25 years, the American population is deeply divided on this issue. "People recognize that human life is precious, and they think it should be protected. At the same time, they feel strongly that individual choice should be respected. Most Americans are at once pro-choice and pro-life."
Ladd and Bowman point out that this "pluralistic compromise," with its deference to the choices of others, is the pattern of public opinion across a range of issues (e.g. smoking, school choice, health-care options, and access to pornography. However, by large majorities, most Americans support restrictions on access to abortion after the first trimester. Regarding the partial-birth procedure, more than 70% of the population favors an outright ban.
That is why the pro-life movement has dramatically changed its emphasis in recent months. The brutal facts about partial-birth abortion shift public attention away from who is making the choice to what is being chosen—and most Americans simply don't have the stomach to support it. Whatever their conviction about abortion in general, infanticide is clearly outside the mainstream.
That has been the impetus behind the most significant movement in voting behavior on abortion issues since 1973. Eighteen states have passed versions of the Santorum bill during the last two years (not including Ohio, where the language of the ban was flawed) and many congressional Democrats (13 senators and 79 representatives) have abandoned their party's traditional pro-abortion posture.
In the Senate, Daschle, a Catholic, leads the list of pro-abortion Democrats who voted against his party and the president. His last-minute switch to support the Santorum bill came only after intense pressure from South Dakota voters and from Bishop Robert Carlson of Sioux Falls. (Daschle is reported to have exclaimed, "That's enough. Let's get this thing out of here and send it to the Supreme Court" in reaction to Bishop Carlson's leadership on the issue.) Other Catholic senators who were either unwilling to buck the demands of public opinion and the Church include John Breaux (D-La.), Mary Landrieux (DLa.), and Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.).
By contrast, Sen. Robert Byrd (DW.Va.) changed his position to support the ban after learning the full details of the procedure. Rep. Sanford Bishop (D-Ga.) switched his vote in favor of the ban after his home state passed its own measure with broad popular support. Bishop said he felt bound to uphold the moral convictions of those who elected him.
These prominent defections have increased the pressure on the holdout Catholic Democrats. Most vulnerable are those facing election this year, such as Illinois Moseley-Braun, and Washington's Patty Murray. Moseley-Braun faces a strong pro-life Republican candidate in this fall's election, and a state Democratic Party that appears to be divided on abortion issues, having nominated a pro-life candidate for governor. What's more, Illinois is one of the states that has outlawed the partial-birth procedure. In a close election, the issue could determine the outcome.
There are similar situations in a number of upcoming political races. In fact, the override vote has become a central issue in the 105th Congress. Pro-life forces are working fervently to persuade three senators to switch their override votes. Though the debate has been quiet (at least in the national press) for months, the override issue is shaping up to be a defining moment in American political history.
The motion to override will begin in the House Judiciary Committee, where much interest and speculation centers on the timing of the vote.
Though assured of passage in the House (the margin is 10 votes greater than the required two-thirds majority), if the measure were to arise now, most observers believe it would ultimately fail. Pro-life leaders argue that it would be a mistake to rush the vote.
"The National Conference of Catholic Bishops, the National Right to Life Committee (NRLC), the Christian Coalition, and other pro-life organizations need as much time as possible to round up the crucial three votes [in the Senate]," said NRLC Legislative Director Doug Johnson. The best estimate is for a vote in late summer.
As the behind-the-scenes debate in Washington intensifies, the approvals of statewide bans are cause for hope. In New Jersey, Republican Gov. Christine Whitman, re-elected by a slim margin in November, suffered a legislative override of her veto of a state ban in December. In February, the Florida legislature demonstrated its determination by overriding Democratic Gov. Lawton Chiles's veto. Virginia's newly elected state Assembly, previously dominated by pro-abortion Democrats, voted in favor of a ban in March. And in Maine, despite Greek Orthodox senator (Republican Olympia Snowe) and a Catholic senator (Collins) siding with the president, the Christian Coalition's polling shows that more than 80% of state voters favor a ban on partial-birth abortions.
With the tide running strongly against them, abortion advocates have begun the classic "end run" to the courts. Most state bans have been delayed by federal court order, and the issue seems destined to wind up in the Supreme Court. Whatever the outcome, the partial-birth issue has given the pro-life cause a new vigor and a dramatic new platform from which to educate the public. As one veteran observer commented, "it's yet another instance of God bringing good out of evil."
George Forsyth, a political scientist and former foreign service officer, is executive director of the Catholic Campaign for America.
- Keywords:
- April 05-11, 1998

subset: commoncrawl


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Can Apple Convince Me I Want a Smaller TV?
Dec 29, 2011 5:00 AM PT
Even before Steve Jobs admitted to his biographer that he had cracked the modern television nut, Apple fans have long suspected -- and hoped -- that Apple's little hobby Apple TV set-top box was just a stepping stone to a bigger and better HDTV living room experience.
The latest rumors throw fuel on the fire: Digitimes has reported that Apple's suppliers are gearing up to produce components for delivery of an Apple TV -- a big one, not the set-top box -- sometime in 2012. More specifically, Samsung might be making the chips for an "iTV," while Sharp might make the screens. The screen sizes indicate the iTV would come in 32 and 37-inch models.
What? Just 37 inches? Come on! I'm at once beside myself with excitement to hopefully see a radical new way of watching and enjoying TV -- yet already disappointed. Irrational? You bet. This is, after all, just another rumor, and while it's likely to barely scratch the surface of what Apple will ultimately unveil, I'd really like Apple to offer me something that I want . . . even though, according to Jobs, it's not my job to know what I want until Apple shows me.
A Bedroom TV?
Plenty of people who live in small homes could use a 37-inch TV, especially one with a wicked-sharp display. But what about all of those football-loving big-screen HDTVs out there -- particularly the big screens found in the homes of media-gobbling consumers of flickering images? Could those consumers be satisfied with such a small screen?
I have a 42-inch HDTV in my living room, and I can't imagine replacing it with something smaller, even with something that delivers a brighter, clearer picture. In fact, I'd much rather have a larger TV.
To settle for something smaller, could I be wowed by elegant design? Not this time. Could I be wowed by a Siri interface or a slick touchscreen remote that would let me flick around? No. Would I lust after an iTV enough to put one in the bedroom? Not hardly. There's no way Apple will actually produce a TV that's competitive in price to today's 32- and 37-inchers, and I'm not the kind of buyer who'll put a premium TV in a bedroom.
If these rumors pan out, I'll end up being a spectator.
If Fancypants Navigation Is Out, How About the Best Shows?
If the iTV is just 37 inches with a slick menu and integration with my iCloud and iTunes-based media, I'll be looking at a big fat disappointment. As for non-Apple fans, this sort of iTV will likely garner a few passing glances, at best.
If we're lucky, Apple will also create a new Apple TV set-top box that will let us connect to larger HDTVs and enjoy whatever is great about the new iTV. So what could that possibly be?
Clearly, Apple has to find some sort of content deal so its customers can consume live, broadcast TV in new ways. Apple could produce a new HDTV that serves up ice cream and popcorn, but if it doesn't let us watch the Super Bowl, broadcast news, and the TV shows we're addicted to on broadcast night, it's just a nice toy.
Apple has previously expressed interest in some sort of new menu that would let consumers pick all the best shows they actually want (as opposed to getting tiers of service from cable or satellite providers packed with lousy channels), but that will require buy-in from all the rights owners associated with the production and delivery of today's TV. That's a big deal.
Most of these owners are more interested in raising and protecting profits than in creating an amazing experience for consumers. There's reasons why our cable companies aren't giving us what we want.
Better Than the Best Shows?
Even if an iTV should make it to the bedroom, can you imagine a husband or wife talking through a menu or asking for a show, artist, or channel out loud in the wee hours of the night? There are definitely some possibilities that don't make a lot of sense. But what does make sense? A breakfast table TV?
I've long thought about mounting an Apple TV-connected HDTV over my kitchen table. Why? Music and photo slideshows. Why not an iMac?
Easy answer: Too expensive.
And yet, what if an iTV were integrated with far more than premier content, cloud-based DVR for iPhone and iPod access, along with iCloud movies? What if an iTV could show off the calendar of a particular family member? Email? What if an iTV came with a Notification Center like we have on our iPhones? Something that shows weather, even key headline news feeds?
Instead of an HDTV that we use to wind down our evenings with witty comedies and action-packed movies, could Apple be creating an iTV that starts our day and integrates our entire digital lives?
Would I buy a 37-inch Apple iTV then?
I just wouldn't put in my living room.


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Difference between revisions of "Moser-lower.tex"
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The proportion of extra points for each of the cells $\Gamma_{(a,n-i-4,i+4-a)}$ is no more than $2/(i+6)$. Only one cell in three is included from the $b=n-i-4$ layer, so we expect no more than $\
The proportion of extra points for each of the cells $\Gamma_{(a,n-i-4,i+4-a)}$ is no more than $2/(i+6)$. Only one cell in three is included from the $b=n-i-4$ layer, so we expect no more than $\{n,i+42^{i+}$ new points, all from $S_{n,i+4}$. One can also find extra points from $S_{n,i+5}$ and higher spheres.
Earlier solutions may also give insight into the problem. In this section we discuss lower bounds for $c'_{n,3}$. Clearly we have
Earlier solutions may also give insight into the problem. In this section we discuss lower bounds for $c'_{n,3}$. Clearly we have
Revision as of 14:14, 12 July 2009
\section{Lower bounds for the Moser problem}\label{moser-lower-sec}
Just as for the DHJ problem, we found that Gamma sets $\Gamma_{a,b,c}$ were useful in providing large lower bounds for the Moser problem. This is despite the fact that the symmetries of the cube do not respect Gamma sets.
Observe that if $B \subset \Delta_n$, then the set $A_B := \bigcup_{\vec a \in B} \Gamma_{a,b,c}$ is a Moser set as long as $B$ does not contain any ``isosceles triangles $(a+r,b,c+s), (a+s,b,c+r), (a,b+r+s,c)$ for any $r,s \geq 0$ not both zero; in particular, $B$ cannot contain any ``vertical line segments $(a+r,b,c+r), (a,b+2r,c)$. An example of such a set is provided by selecting $0 \leq i \leq n-3$ and letting $B$ consist of the triples $(a, n-i, i-a)$ when $a \neq 3 \mod 3$, $(a,n-i-1,i+1-a)$ when $a \neq 1 \mod 3$, $(a,n-i-2,i+2-a)$ when $a=0 \mod 3$, and $(a,n-i-3,i+3-a)$ when $a=2 \mod 3$. Asymptotically, this set includes about two thirds of the spheres $S_{n,i}$, $S_{n,i+1}$ and one third of the spheres $S_{n,i+2}, S_{n,i+3}$ and (setting $i$ close to $n/3$) gives a lower bound \eqref{cpn3} with $C = 2 \times \sqrt{\frac{9}{4\pi}}$.
An integer program was run to obtain the optimal lower bounds achievable by the $A_B$ construction (using \eqref{cn3}, of course). The results for $1 \leq n \leq 20$ are displayed in Figure \ref{nlow-moser}:
\begin{figure}[tb] \centerline{ \begin{tabular}{|ll|ll|} \hline $n$ & lower bound & $n$ & lower bound \\ \hline 1 & 2 &11& 71766\\ 2 & 6 & 12& 212423\\ 3 & 16 & 13& 614875\\ 4 & 43 & 14& 1794212\\ 5 & 122& 15& 5321796\\ 6 & 353& 16& 15455256\\ 7 & 1017& 17& 45345052\\ 8 & 2902&18& 134438520\\ 9 & 8622&19& 391796798\\ 10& 24786& 20& 1153402148\\ \hline \end{tabular}} \caption{Lower bounds for $c'_n$ obtained by the $A_B$ construction.} \label{nlow-moser} \end{figure}
More complete data, including the list of optimisers, can be found at \centerline{{\tt http://abel.math.umu.se/~klasm/Data/HJ/}.}
Note that the lower bound $c'_{6,3} \geq 353$ was first located by a genetic algorithm: see Appendix \ref{genetic-alg}.
\begin{figure}[tb] \centerline{\includegraphics{moser353new.png}} \caption{One of the examples of $353$-point sets in $[3]^6$ (elements of the set being indicated by white squares).} \label{moser353-fig} \end{figure}
However, we have been unable to locate a lower bound which is asymptotically better than \eqref{cpn3}. Indeed, any method based purely on the $A_B$ construction cannot do asymptotically better than the previous constructions:
\begin{proposition} Let $B \subset \Delta_n$ be such that $A_B$ is a Moser set. Then $|A_B| \leq (2 \sqrt{\frac{9}{4\pi}} + o(1)) \frac{3^n}{\sqrt{n}}$. \end{proposition}
\begin{proof} By the previous discussion, $B$ cannot contain any pair of the form $(a,b+2r,c), (a+r,b,c+r)$ with $r>0$. In other words, for any $-n \leq h \leq n$, $B$ can contain at most one triple $(a,b,c)$ with $c-a=h$. From this and \eqref{cn3}, we see that $$ |A_B| \leq \sum_{h=-n}^n \max_{(a,b,c) \in \Delta_n: c-a=h} \frac{n!}{a! b! c!}.$$ From the Chernoff inequality (or the Stirling formula computation below) we see that $\frac{n!}{a! b! c!} \leq \frac{1}{n^{10}} 3^n$ unless $a,b,c = n/3 + O( n^{1/2} \log^{1/2} n )$, so we may restrict to this regime, which also forces $h = O( n^{1/2}\log^{1/2} n)$. If we write $a = n/3 + \alpha$, $b = n/3 + \beta$, $c = n/3+\gamma$ and apply Stirling's formula $n! = (1+o(1)) \sqrt{2\pi n} n^n e^{-n}$, we obtain $$ \frac{n!}{a! b! c!} = (1+o(1)) \frac{3^{3/2}}{2\pi n} 3^n \exp( - (\frac{n}{3}+\alpha) \log (1 + \frac{3\alpha}{n} ) - (\frac{n}{3}+\beta) \log (1 + \frac{3\beta}{n} ) - (\frac{n}{3}+\gamma) \log (1 + \frac{3\gamma}{n} ) ).$$ From Taylor expansion one has $$ -(\frac{n}{3}+\alpha) \log (1 + \frac{3\alpha}{n} ) = -\alpha - \frac{3}{2} \frac{\alpha^2}{n} + o(1)$$ and similarly for $\beta,\gamma$; since $\alpha+\beta+\gamma=0$, we conclude that $$ \frac{n!}{a! b! c!} = (1+o(1)) \frac{3^{3/2}}{2\pi n} 3^n \exp( - \frac{3}{2n} (\alpha^2+\beta^2+\gamma^2) ).$$ If $c-a=h$, then $\alpha^2+\beta^2+\gamma^2 = \frac{3\beta^2}{2} + \frac{h^2}{2}$. Thus we see that $$ \max_{(a,b,c) \in \Delta_n: c-a=h} \frac{n!}{a! b! c!} \leq (1+o(1)) \frac{3^{3/2}}{2\pi n} 3^n \exp( - \frac{3}{4n} h^2 ).$$ Using the integral test, we thus have $$ |A_B| \leq (1+o(1)) \frac{3^{3/2}}{2\pi n} 3^n \int_\R \exp( - \frac{3}{4n} x^2 )\ dx.$$ Since $\int_\R \exp( - \frac{3}{4n} x^2 )\ dx = \sqrt{\frac{4\pi n}{3}}$, we obtain the claim. \end{proof}
Actually it is possible to improve upon these bounds by a slight amount. Observe that if $B$ is a maximiser for the right-hand side of \eqref{cn3} (subject to $B$ not containing isosceles triangles), then any triple $(a,b,c)$ not in $B$ must be the vertex of a (possibly degenerate) isosceles triangle with the other vertices in $B$. If this triangle is non-degenerate, or if $(a,b,c)$ is the upper vertex of a degenerate isosceles triangle, then no point from $\Gamma_{a,b,c}$ can be added to $A_B$ without creating a geometric line. However, if $(a,b,c) = (a'+r,b',c'+r)$ is only the lower vertex of a degenerate isosceles triangle $(a'+r,b',c'+r), (a',b'+2r,c')$, then one can add any subset of $\Gamma_{a,b,c}$ to $A_B$ and still have a Moser set as long as no pair of elements in that subset is separated by Hamming distance $2r$. For instance, in the $n=5$ case, we can start with the 122-point set built from $$B = \{ (0 0 5),(0 2 3),(1 1 3 ),(1 2 2 ),(2 2 1 ),(3 1 1 ),(3 2 0 ),(5 0 0))\}$$, and add a point each from (1 0 4) and (4 0 1). This gives an example of the maximal, 124-point solution. Again, in the $n=10$ case, the set \begin{align*} B &= \{(0 0 10),(0 2 8 ),(0 3 7 ),(0 4 6 ),(1 4 5 ),(2 1 7 ),(2 3 5 ), (3 2 5 ),(3 3 4 ),(3 4 3 ),(4 4 2 ),(5 1 4 ), \\ &\quad (5 3 2 ),(6 2 2 ), (6 3 1 ),(6 4 0 ),(8 1 1 ),(9 0 1 ),(9 1 0 ) \} \end{align*}
generates the lower bound $c'_{10,3} \geq 24786$ given above (and, up to reflection $a \leftrightarrow c$, is the only such set that does so); but by adding the following twelve elements from $\Gamma_{5,0,5}$ one can increase the lower bound slightly to $24798$: $1111133333$, $1111313333$, $1113113333$, $1133331113$, $1133331131$, $1133331311$, $3311333111$, $3313133111$, $3313313111$, $3331111133$, $3331111313$, $3331111331$
A more general form goes with the $B$ set described at the start of this section. Include points from $\Gamma_{(a,n-i-4,i+4-a)}$ when $a=1 (\operatorname{mod}\ 3)$, subject to no two points being included if they differ by the interchange of a $1$ and a $3$. Each of these Gamma sets is the feet of a degenerate isosceles triangle with vertex $\Gamma_{(a-1,n-i-2,a+3-a)}$.
\begin{lemma} If $A$ is a subset of $\Gamma_{(a,b,c)}$ such that no two points of $A$ differ by the interchange of a $1$ and a $3$, then $|A| \leq |\Gamma_{a,b,c}|/(1+\max(a,c))$. \end{lemma} \begin{proof} Say that two points of $\Gamma_{a,b,c}$ are neighbours if they differ by the exchange of a $1$ and a $3$. Each point of $A$ has $ac$ neighbours, none of which are in $A$. Each point of $\Gamma_{(a,b,c)}\backslash A$ has $ac$ neighbours, but only $min(a,c)$ of them may be in $A$. So for each point of $A$ there are on average $ac/\min(a,c) = \max(a,c)$ points not in $A$. So the proportion of points of $\Gamma_{(a,b,c)}$ that are in $A$ is at most one in $1+\max(a,c)$. \end{proof}
The proportion of extra points for each of the cells $\Gamma_{(a,n-i-4,i+4-a)}$ is no more than $2/(i+6)$. Only one cell in three is included from the $b=n-i-4$ layer, so we expect no more than $\binom{n,i+4}2^{i+5}/(3i+18)$ new points, all from $S_{n,i+4}$. One can also find extra points from $S_{n,i+5}$ and higher spheres.
Earlier solutions may also give insight into the problem. In this section we discuss lower bounds for $c'_{n,3}$. Clearly we have $c'_{0,3}=1$ and $c'_{1,3}=2$, so we focus on the case $n \ge 2$. The first lower bounds may be due to Koml\'{o}s \cite{komlos}, who observed that the sphere $S_{i,n}$ of elements with exactly $n-i$ 2 entries (see Section \ref{notation-sec} for definition), is a Moser set, so that \begin{equation}\label{cin} c'_{n,3}\geq \vert S_{i,n}\vert \end{equation} holds for all $i$. Choosing $i=\lfloor \frac{2n}{3}\rfloor$ and applying Stirling's formula, we see that this lower bound takes the form \begin{equation}\label{cpn3} c'_{n,3} \geq (C-o(1)) 3^n / \sqrt{n} \end{equation} for some absolute constant $C>0$; in fact \eqref{cin} gives \eqref{cpn3} with $C := \sqrt{\frac{9}{4\pi}}$. In particular $c'_{3,3} \geq 12, c'_{4,3}\geq 24, c'_{5,3}\geq 80, c'_{6,3}\geq 240$.
These values can be improved by studying combinations of several spheres or semispheres or applying elementary results from coding theory.
Observe that if $\{w(1),w(2),w(3)\}$ is a geometric line in $[3]^n$, then $w(1), w(3)$ both lie in the same sphere $S_{i,n}$, and that $w(2)$ lies in a lower sphere $S_{i-r,n}$ for some $1 \leq r \leq i \leq n$. Furthermore, $w(1)$ and $w(3)$ are separated by Hamming distance $r$.
As a consequence, we see that $S_{i-1,n} \cup S_{i,n}^e$ (or $S_{i-1,n} \cup S_{i,n}^o$) is a Moser set for any $1 \leq i \leq n$, since any two distinct elements $S_{i,n}^e$ are separated by a Hamming distance of at least two. (Recall Section \ref{notation-sec} for definitions), This leads to the lower bound \begin{equation}\label{cn3-low} c'_{n,3} \geq \binom{n}{i-1} 2^{i-1} + \binom{n}{i} 2^{i-1} = \binom{n+1}{i} 2^{i-1}. \end{equation} It is not hard to see that $\binom{n+1}{i+1} 2^{i} > \binom{n+1}{i} 2^{i-1}$ if and only if $3i < 2n+1$, and so this lower bound is maximised when $i = \lfloor \frac{2n+1}{3} \rfloor$ for $n \geq 2$, giving the formula \eqref{binom}. This leads to the lower bounds $$ c'_{2,3} \geq 6; c'_{3,3} \geq 16; c'_{4,3} \geq 40; c'_{5,3} \geq 120; c'_{6,3} \geq 336$$ which gives the right lower bounds for $n=2,3$, but is slightly off for $n=4,5$. Asymptotically, Stirling's formula and \eqref{cn3-low} then give the lower bound \eqref{cpn3} with $C = \frac{3}{2} \times \sqrt{\frac{9}{4\pi}}$, which is asymptotically $50\%$ better than the bound \eqref{cin}.
The work of Chv\'{a}tal \cite{chvatal1} already contained a refinement of this idea which we here translate into the usual notation of coding theory: Let $A(n,d)$ denote the size of the largest binary code of length $n$ and minimal distance $d$.
Then \begin{equation}\label{cnchvatal} c'_{n,3}\geq \max_k \left( \sum_{j=0}^k \binom{n}{j} A(n-j, k-j+1)\right). \end{equation}
With the following values for $A(n,d)$: {\tiny{ \[ \begin{array}{llllllll} A(1,1)=2&&&&&&&\\ A(2,1)=4& A(2,2)=2&&&&&&\\ A(3,1)=8&A(3,2)=4&A(3,3)=2&&&&&\\ A(4,1)=16&A(4,2)=8& A(4,3)=2& A(4,4)=2&&&&\\ A(5,1)=32&A(5,2)=16& A(5,3)=4& A(5,4)=2&A(5,5)=2&&&\\ A(6,1)=64&A(6,2)=32& A(6,3)=8& A(6,4)=4&A(6,5)=2&A(6,6)=2&&\\ A(7,1)=128&A(7,2)=64& A(7,3)=16& A(7,4)=8&A(7,5)=2&A(7,6)=2&A(7,7)=2&\\ A(8,1)=256&A(8,2)=128& A(8,3)=20& A(8,4)=16&A(8,5)=4&A(8,6)=2 &A(8,7)=2&A(8,8)=2\\ A(9,1)=512&A(9,2)=256& A(9,3)=40& A(9,4)=20&A(9,5)=6&A(9,6)=4 &A(9,7)=2&A(9,8)=2\\ A(10,1)=1024&A(10,2)=512& A(10,3)=72& A(10,4)=40&A(10,5)=12&A(10,6)=6 &A(10,7)=2&A(10,8)=2\\ A(11,1)=2048&A(11,2)=1024& A(11,3)=144& A(11,4)=72&A(11,5)=24&A(11,6)=12 &A(11,7)=2&A(11,8)=2\\ A(12,1)=4096&A(12,2)=2048& A(12,3)=256& A(12,4)=144&A(12,5)=32&A(12,6)=24 &A(12,7)=4&A(12,8)=2\\ A(13,1)=8192&A(13,2)=4096& A(13,3)=512& A(13,4)=256&A(13,5)=64&A(12,6)=32 &A(13,7)=8&A(13,8)=4\\ \end{array} \] }}
Generally, $A(n,1)=2^n, A(n,2)=2^{n-1}, A(n-1,2e-1)=A(n,2e), A(n,d)=2$, if $d>\frac{2n}{3}$. The values were taken or derived from Andries Brower's table at \centerline{\tt http://www.win.tue.nl/$\sim$aeb/codes/binary-1.html} \textbf{include to references? or other book with explicit values of $A(n,d)$ }
For $c'_{n,3}$ we obtain the following lower bounds: with $k=2$ \[ \begin{array}{llll} c'_{4,3}&\geq &\binom{4}{0}A(4,3)+\binom{4}{1}A(3,2)+\binom{4}{2}A(2,1) =1\cdot 2+4 \cdot 4+6\cdot 4&=42.\\ c'_{5,3}&\geq &\binom{5}{0}A(5,3)+\binom{5}{1}A(4,2)+\binom{5}{2}A(3,1) =1\cdot 4+5 \cdot 8+10\cdot 8&=124.\\ c'_{6,3}&\geq &\binom{6}{0}A(6,3)+\binom{6}{1}A(5,2)+\binom{6}{2}A(4,1) =1\cdot 8+6 \cdot 16+15\cdot 16&=344. \end{array} \] With k=3 \[ \begin{array}{llll} c'_{7,3}&\geq& \binom{7}{0}A(7,4)+\binom{7}{1}A(6,3)+\binom{7}{2}A(5,2) + \binom{7}{3}A(4,1)&=960.\\ c'_{8,3}&\geq &\binom{8}{0}A(8,4)+\binom{8}{1}A(7,3)+\binom{8}{2}A(6,2) + \binom{8}{3}A(5,1)&=2832.\\ c'_{9,3}&\geq & \binom{9}{0}A(9,4)+\binom{9}{1}A(8,3)+\binom{9}{2}A(7,2) + \binom{9}{3}A(6,1)&=7880. \end{array}\] With k=4 \[ \begin{array}{llll} c'_{10,3}&\geq &\binom{10}{0}A(10,5)+\binom{10}{1}A(9,4)+\binom{10}{2}A(8,3) + \binom{10}{3}A(7,2)+\binom{10}{4}A(6,1)&=22232.\\ c'_{11,3}&\geq &\binom{11}{0}A(11,5)+\binom{11}{1}A(10,4)+\binom{11}{2}A(9,3) + \binom{11}{3}A(8,2)+\binom{11}{4}A(7,1)&=66024.\\ c'_{12,3}&\geq &\binom{12}{0}A(12,5)+\binom{12}{1}A(11,4)+\binom{12}{2}A(10,3) + \binom{12}{3}A(9,2)+\binom{12}{4}A(8,1)&=188688.\\ \end{array}\] With $k=5$ \[ c'_{13,3}\geq 539168.\]
It should be pointed out that these bounds are even numbers, so that $c'_{4,3}=43$ shows that one cannot generally expect this lower bound gives the optimum.
The maximum value appears to occur for $k=\lfloor\frac{n+2}{3}\rfloor$, so that using Stirling's formula and explicit bounds on $A(n,d)$ the best possible value known to date of the constant $C$ in equation \eqref{cpn3} can be worked out, but we refrain from doing this here. Using the Singleton bound $A(n,d)\leq 2^{n-d+1}$ Chv\'{a}tal \cite{chvatal1} proved that the expression on the right hand side of \eqref{cnchvatal} is also $O\left( \frac{3^n}{\sqrt{n}}\right)$, so that the refinement described above gains a constant factor over the initial construction only.
For $n=4$ the above does not yet give the exact value. The value $c'_{4,3}=43$ was first proven by Chandra \cite{chandra}. A uniform way of describing examples for the optimum values of $c'_{4,3}=43$ and $c'_{5,3}=124$ is the following:
Let us consider the sets $$ A := S_{i-1,n} \cup S_{i,n}^e \cup A'$$ where $A' \subset S_{i+1,n}$ has the property that any two elements in $A'$ are separated by a Hamming distance of at least three, or have a Hamming distance of exactly one but their midpoint lies in $S_{i,n}^o$. By the previous discussion we see that this is a Moser set, and we have the lower bound \begin{equation}\label{cnn} c'_{n,3} \geq \binom{n+1}{i} 2^{i-1} + |A'|. \end{equation} This gives some improved lower bounds for $c'_{n,3}$:
\begin{itemize} \item By taking $n=4$, $i=3$, and $A' = \{ 1111, 3331, 3333\}$, we obtain $c'_{4,3} \geq 43$; \item By taking $n=5$, $i=4$, and $A' = \{ 11111, 11333, 33311, 33331 \}$, we obtain $c'_{5,3} \geq 124$. \item By taking $n=6$, $i=5$, and $A' = \{ 111111, 111113, 111331, 111333, 331111, 331113\}$, we obtain $c'_{6,3} \geq 342$. \end{itemize}
This gives the lower bounds in Theorem \ref{moser} up to $n=5$, but the bound for $n=6$ is inferior to the lower bound $c'_{6,3}\geq 344$ given above.
\subsection{Higher $k$ values} One can consider subsets of $[k]{}^n$ that contain no geometric lines. Section \ref{moser-lower-sec} has considered the case $k=3$. Let $c'_{n,k}$ be the greatest number of points in $[k]{}^n$ with no geometric line. For example, $c'_{n,3} = c'_n$. We have the following lower bounds:
$c'_{n,4} \ge \binom{n}{n/2}2^n$. The set of points with $a$ $1$s,$b$ $2$s,$c$ $3$s and $d$ $4$s, where $a+d$ has the constant value $n/2$, does not form geometric lines because points at the ends of a geometric line have more $a$ or $d$ values than point in the middle of the line.
One can show a lower bound that, asymptotically, is twice as large. Take all points with $a$ $1$s, $b$ $2$s, $c$ $3$s and $d$ $4$s, for which:
\begin{itemize} \item Either $a+d = q$ or $q-1$, $a$ and $b$ have the same parity; or \item $a+d = q-2$ or $q-3$, $a$ and $b$ have opposite parity. \end{itemize}
This includes half the points of four adjacent layers, and therefore may include $(1+o(1))\binom{n}{n/2}2^{n+1}$ points.
We also have a DHJ(3)-like lower bound for $c'_{n,5}$, namely $c'_{n,5} = 5^{n-O(\sqrt{\log n})}$. Consider points with $a$ $1$s, $b$ $2$s, $c$ $3$s, $d$ $4$s and $e$ $5$s. For each point, take the value $a+e+2(b+d)+3c$. The first three points in any geometric line give values that form an arithmetic progression of length three.
Select a set of integers with no arithmetic progression of length 3. Select all points whose value belongs to that sequence; there will be no geometric line among those points. By Behrend theory, it is possible to choose these points with density $\exp{-O(\sqrt{\log n})}$.
The $k=6$ version of Moser implies DHJ(3). Indeed, any $k=3$ combinatorial line-free set can be "doubled up" into a $k=6$ geometric line-free set of the same density by pulling back the set from the map that maps 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 to 1, 2, 3, 3, 2, 1 respectively; note that this map sends $k=6$ geometric lines to $k=3$ combinatorial lines. So $c'_{k,6} \geq 2^k c_k$, and more generally, $c'_{k,2n} \geq 2^k c_{k,n}$.


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DIY plywood art board
This is such a great & simple way of displaying art, especially collages of pieces. You can screw the pieces to a wall and then use giant rubber bands, clips or even layer pieces of thread in a criss cross shape to hold random papers.
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14 comments:
LOVE this idea! So simple and cute!ReplyDelete
Good and cool idea. This is now my Wish for my birthday!ReplyDelete
Neat idea! I can see this working well in my kitchen.ReplyDelete
Wow!!! I love it! I really wish I had room for a dining table looking when looking at this picture (actually I wish for more space every day ;) )ReplyDelete
This is really great and definitely something I'd like to try!ReplyDelete
Very cool, esp. like the neon stripe down the bottom - FUN!ReplyDelete
- AnonymousSeptember 15, 2012
Such a good idea if you like to frequently change the look of your rooms, nice!ReplyDelete
really cute! love the pop of pink.ReplyDelete
Wow, what a great idea! :)ReplyDelete
I absolutely love this idea! Also great for those (like me) who rent but still want something on the walls :)ReplyDelete
I love it! What a wonderful idea- so simple but draws so much attention~ Thanks for sharing lovely :)ReplyDelete
Where can i get these beautiful diner chairs? I just fell in love with the shape!ReplyDelete
Thank you for your comments, I love hearing from you!
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MAF properties are up to a very good standard, very helpful and friendly staff. The property I moved into was very clean. Overall very pleased with the service provided.
MAF have been simple and easy to get a long with, they have great staff who are fast to respond to any concerns we had, they made the process of moving out for the first time very simple, I would definitely recommend using them for student housing.
The flat has been finished to a great standard and was completed within the allotted time period, looking forward to spending a year in it!
If you're a vegan or vegetarian student who is getting to grips with…Read More
This post was originally produced in 2017. It was updated during June…Read More


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What is Azure?
Microsoft Azure is an ever-expanding set of cloud services to help your organisation meet your business challenges. It's the freedom to build, manage and deploy applications on a massive, global network using your favourite tools and frameworks.
Be future-ready
Continuous innovation from Microsoft supports your development today, and your product visions for tomorrow.
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With a commitment to open source, and support for all languages and frameworks, build how you want and deploy where you want to.
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On-premises, in the cloud and at the edge – we'll meet you where you are. Integrate and manage your environments with services designed for hybrid cloud.
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Get security from the ground up, backed by a team of experts and proactive compliance trusted by enterprises, governments and start-ups.
It's solutions that do the work for you
Find answers to the business challenges you face with an Azure solution that brings together everything you need – related products, services and third-party applications. From DevOps to business analytics to the Internet of Things, you'll be up and running quickly with a scalable, cost-effective solution that works with your existing investments.
Companies doing great things with Azure
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By the time Boone Logan served up Josh Donaldson's tiebreaking homer in the eighth inning Sunday, the Yankees already had enough to worry about. A 5-4 loss to the A's felt like the least of their problems.
Andy Pettitte, who left trailing 4-1 after five innings, didn't look like himself in a second straight poor outing. He admitted afterward that he "can't remember'' the last time he felt this bad on the mound. "It would be nice to just have a little idea of where the ball is going,'' he said.
Eduardo Nuñez was pulled for the top of the fifth because of rib-cage inflammation that should cost him a game or two -- minimum -- of the upcoming Rockies series at Coors Field. Sunday's MRI showed no structural damage, but he said it hurt when he tried to swing or throw.
According to Nuñez, he had experienced discomfort in that spot since the morning but told Girardi he could play. It wasn't until Nuñez complained again in the on-deck circle in the fourth inning that the manager yanked him.
"He told me it felt irritated,'' said Girardi, who told Nuñez, "You're done.''
Girardi figures he will make do with Jayson Nix at shortstop while they wait for Nuñez to heal, as the Yankees have done at a number of positions. But they showed the strain of playing shorthanded Sunday when Girardi -- without either David Robertson (hamstring) or Joba Chamberlain (oblique) available -- had to use Logan for the eighth.
Logan got Yoenis Cespedes, who hit a two-run homer off Pettitte in the fifth inning, to fly to leftfield. But next up was Donaldson, another righthanded hitter, and he crushed the deciding homer.
Pettitte, still fuming at himself long after the game was over, felt partially responsible for not providing the length the Yankees needed with such a depleted bullpen. "Boone's out there in a situation he'd never be in,'' Pettitte said.
Before the game, Girardi described Pettitte's last outing as a "clunker'' and said he'd be "floored'' if his cutter didn't return against the A's. But he struggled again, surrendering four walks and four hits, including two of Oakland's three homers.
"My cutter is non-existent right now,'' Pettitte said. "It's been a long, long time since I haven't had a feel for my pitches.''
Pettitte had walked only seven in 322/3 innings in his previous five starts, and that's 10 earned runs in 91/3 innings for Pettitte in his last two outings. Only a three-run rally in the sixth by the Yankees allowed him to avoid a third straight loss.
Even more troubling than the numbers is Pettitte's inability to fix a problem he is acutely aware of. He insists that his pregame bullpen warmups are fine, but something -- for some reason -- goes haywire once the game begins.
Pettitte, who turns 41 next month, also maintains that there is nothing physically wrong with him. "I wish I could tell you something is hurt,'' he said. "I could pitch much better than this with something hurting.''
Despite Pettitte's confusion, Girardi refused to panic afterward. When asked if he is worried, he shook his head. "No,'' Girardi said. "Not one bit. If he was 26 or 32, we wouldn't even ask the question. I think two starts is way too little to make a big deal out of it.''
The Yankees tied the score at 4 in the sixth on Ichiro Suzuki's RBI double and Lyle Overbay's two-out, two-run single. They also had a great chance to tie it in the ninth. With Brett Gardner on second base after a single and wild pitch, the A's chose to intentionally walk Robinson Cano with two outs even though Vernon Wells -- 6-for-12 with two homers off Grant Balfour -- was on deck. The move worked when Balfour whiffed Wells.
"He won that battle,'' Wells said. "I'm sure there'll be plenty more.''
Notes & quotes: Girardi suggested before the game that the Yankees may have changed their minds about putting Curtis Granderson back in centerfield when he returns from the disabled list. "We might toy around with some other things,'' he said. Such as? "Left, right,'' he said. "Other things.'' Granderson has been playing all three outfield positions during his rehab stint. He apparently is fine after getting hit on the right triceps by a pitch Saturday . . . Robertson played catch again and expects to be ready for Tuesday night's series opener at Coors Field.


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Thursday, 22 December 2011
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This is the blog site of Leabank Square.
We are in Hackney Wick - in east London, UK
It is for everyone who lives in Leabank Square to chat about the amazing neighbours, great gardens, wonderful Lea River - and best of all.... the best community spirit!
Thanks - Nadira & Sóna


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Search This Blog
Weiche Wu 巫瑋哲 is a Taiwanese designer. He studied Industrial Design at Chang Gung University in Taiwan and received his MA in Industrial Design from Central St. Martins, London. In addition to product design, Weiche also specialises in graphic design, photography and critical design thinking. His expertise lies in shaping products in a very visual way, which in short means designing with a priority on aesthetics.
In 2011, Weiche worked with the French company, Rémy Martin, to generate a new concept for their heritage Louis XIII brand. The final outcome 'Cérémonie pour un Roi' and 'L'essence de Rémy Martin' have been featured at MAISON & OBJECT in Paris, Salone in Milan, Wallpaper Magazine and in other global media.
Upon graduation from Central St. Martins, he joined Benjamin Hubert's studio in London and participated in several iconic projects such as 'Tenda' lamp and 'Construction Site' in 2012 Designjunction.
In 2012, he founded Taipei based Union Atelier. The studio works on varying design commissions and collaborations; and with the deliberate intention to combine international design trends with Taiwanese traditions, the team has created, and consistently applies, their own unique signature design language.
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If you're a Mondo fan and headed to New York Comic-Con this weekend, I strongly advise you to get to the con when it opens Friday morning at 9:30am. That's because even though most assumed Mondo would release their prints like they did in San Diego (one at a time), I've learned that when the doors open, everything is for sale!
But it gets better.
Late tonight, as the convention was closing, I was able to take pictures of everything at the Mondo booth! If you've been wondering what would be sold at NYCC, Mondo has prints for Shaun of the Dead, Lord of the Rings, The Iron Giant, Phantasm, City of the Living Dead, Kill Bill, The Foghorn Leghorn, and Friday the 13th Part III 3D! In addition, a number of these prints have variants. Hit the jump for a ton of images and artists info.
As most of you know, Scott Wampler usually handles all the Mondo stuff in our Limited Paper column, and he breaks everything down by artist. Due to wanting to post this as fast as possible, here's a list of the movies that received prints, the artists who designed them, and a ton of images.
As I previously mentioned, some of these prints have variants. From what I could tell, the print runs for the variants are 175 each (give or take). There is some great stuff below. Let me know what your favorites are in the comments. My vote is for the Jock Shaun of the Dead variant, but I think all of them are great.
The Iron Giant – Mike Mitchell
Shaun of the Dead – Jock
Phantasm – Phantom City Creative
Lord of the Rings – Shan Jiang
City of the Living Dead – Randy Ortiz
Beatrix (Kill Bill) – Drake
Treebeard (Lord of the Rings) – Todd Slater
The Foghorn Leghorn – Tom Whalen
Friday the 13th Part III 3D – Jay Shaw
click on any image for high-res
Click here for all our previous Mondo coverage.


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The Case for a Financial WikiLeaks | Ian Fraser
The Case for a Financial WikiLeaks
"overstating its cash balance, exaggerating its revenue, and falsifying its financial statements."
"We believe management is materially overstating Huabao's earning power … [Huaboa International] is a pump and dump scheme with the primary objective of enriching its chairwoman."
- A whistleblowing section to allow employees of banks and other financial institutions to expose dubious behaviour, including instances of financial crime, market manipulation, insider trading, 'creative' accounting and rogue trading.
- A transparency initiative focused on shedding light on the inner workings of financial institutions. This section would encourage employees to contribute information such as organisational structures, divisional strategies, risk exposures, compensation, and other information that helps to break the near impenetrable wall of secrecy (omertà) large financial institutions frequently enjoy.
- A high-pay transparency programme to gather leaked payrolls, compensation reports and other material to help in monitoring financial incentive systems.
- A tax haven programme to gather lists of subsidiaries, offshore transactions and other material to help shed light on tax avoidance systems.
- A loan transparency programme to gather information on loan portfolios of the banks' corporate banking divisions, thereby helping keep tabs on socially and environmentally irresponsible lending
- A programme gathering information on banks' dealings with Polically Exposed Persons (including deposed dictators and their families), authoritarian regimes, and dodgy individuals
- A systemic risk programme gathering info on prop trading levels, interbank risk exposures, and shadow banking systems
- A programme collecting information on 'mis-selling' and poor customer service (aka. treating clients as muppets)


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Stephen Chow's latest box office offering, Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons, is slated by the Chinese press to rake in billions of yuan by the time its run is over. However one thing is still causing problems for Chow: the allegations that his movie stole assets from a video game.
Chow, the director, who has acted in gems like Kung Fu Hustle and Shaolin Soccer, is seen like something of a comedy god in China. He's been given the honorific of "ye 爷," which is often given to elders or people of high esteem such as nobles. Last week we reported that various Chinese press spotted scenes in Chow's Journey which had ripped off Capcom's Asura's Wrath.
A Mr. Wei speaking on behalf of Chow's camp came out and said, "The plagiarizing has nothing to do with Chow and our people, the special effects and everything regarding the graphics were done by the effects company, please direct your questions towards them."
Wei's comments seem to skirt the issue of whether Chow was involved at all, but Tencent was quick on the uptake. They report that in a previous interview with the co-director of the movie, Derek Kwok, Kwok said that the duo has seen Asura's Wrath and that they're "fans of animation, so long as the animation is good, we are fine."
Kwok's comments seem to contradict what's coming from of Chow's people. In that same interview, Kwok also made a point about how Chow couldn't have been implicated in any wrongdoing, going so far as saying "Chow is a busy person."
Kotaku has reached out to both Capcom and Chow. Capcom has declined to comment and Chow's camp has not returned a comment at all.
星爷回应"西游"片尾抄袭游戏:特效公司干的 [Tencent]
Kotaku East is your slice of Asian internet culture, bringing you the latest talking points from Japan, Korea, China and beyond. Tune in every morning from 4am to 8am.


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Volkswagen Beetle Turbo and Jetta GLI receive power boost
May 3, 2013
The 2.0-liter turbocharged TSI® engine in the 2013 Beetle Turbo, Beetle Turbo Convertible, and Jetta GLI is now rated at 210 horsepower
• New EA888 Gen 3 engine, produced in Silao, Mexico, makes its U.S. debut
• Engine offers 10 hp increase over previous Gen 2 powerplant
• Beetle R-Line® coupe will be priced from $30,135 with the six-speed manual transmission
Herndon, VA - The Volkswagen Beetle Turbo, Beetle Turbo Convertible, and the Jetta GLI receive a number of running changes to 2013 model year cars that go on sale this month. The most notable of these is fitment of a new version of the award-winning EA888 2.0-liter turbocharged and direct-injected TSI® engine. This is being produced in a new factory in Silao, Mexico, that is part of Volkswagen's ongoing $5 billion investment in the North American market.
The new engine makes 210 horsepower, an increase of 10 hp over the previous Gen 2 TSI engine. Peak power is generated 200 revs higher in the engine range, at 5300 rpm, and torque remains unchanged at 207 pound-feet. Thus equipped, the Beetle Turbo coupe takes 6.6 seconds to accelerate from 0 to 60 mph, 0.2 seconds less than the previous version: At 6.7 seconds, the Jetta GLI is a tenth faster with the manual transmission and two tenths quicker with the DSG® dual-clutch automatic than the cars equipped with the Gen 2 engine.
As well as providing more performance, the new engine also gives a manufacturer-estimated improvement in fuel efficiency for the Beetle models of between four and eight percent on the combined cycle and by up to nine percent on the city cycle.
The EA888 Gen 3 engine is designed to be lighter and more fuel efficient than the unit it replaces. Engine weight has been reduced by eight pounds, to 290 pounds overall. Among the improvements on this engine are: a thinwall crankcase casting; exhaust headers that are integrated into the cylinder head; smaller diameter main bearings; roller bearings for the twin balancer shafts; and a crankshaft that has four counterweights instead of eight.
As well as getting the new engine, the Beetle Turbo and Beetle Turbo Convertible both receive new R-Line bumpers; these feature grained black surfaces and chrome-framed turn signals at the front and a diffuser at the rear. The Jetta GLI is also upgraded with LED taillights on all three trims.
The Beetle Turbo R-Line model, which is also fitted with the new 210-hp engine, appears in dealerships at the same time, replacing the Beetle Turbo with Sunroof, Sound, and Navigation. Externally, the R-Line model is differentiated by the more aggressive front and rear bumpers, 19-inch "Tornado" aluminum-alloy wheels, R-Line badging, and Bi-Xenon headlights with LED DRLs.
Inside, the R-Line model features custom stainless-steel kickplates, a steering wheel badge, and a unique "chrome vanadium" dashboard panel. The base price for the Beetle Turbo R-Line will be $30,135 when equipped with the six-speed manual transmission.
About Volkswagen of America, Inc.
Founded in 1955, Volkswagen of America, Inc., an operating unit of Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (VWoA) is headquartered in Herndon, Virginia. It is a subsidiary of Volkswagen AG, headquartered in Wolfsburg, Germany. VWoA's operations in the United States include research and development, parts and vehicle processing, parts distribution centers, sales, marketing and service offices, financial service centers, and its state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The Volkswagen Group is one of the world's largest producers of passenger cars and Europe's largest automaker. VWoA sells the Beetle, Beetle Convertible, Eos, Golf, Golf R, GTI, Jetta, Jetta SportWagen, Passat, CC, Tiguan, Touareg, and Routan vehicles through approximately 600 independent U.S. dealers.
Visit Volkswagen of America online at www.vw.com or media.vw.com to learn more.
This press release and images of the Beetle Turbo R-Line and Jetta GLI are available at media.vw.com.
"DSG", "R-Line", "TSI", "VW", "Volkswagen", all model names and the Volkswagen logo are registered trademarks of Volkswagen AG.
Features and technical data apply to models offered in the USA. They may differ in other countries.
All fuel economy values are forecast manufacturer values for the USA; EPA estimates were not available at time of release. See www.fueleconomy.gov for details. Actual mileage will vary.
All prices listed are the Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price and exclude transportation, taxes, title, options, and dealer charges.


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View more videos at: http://nbcchicago.com.
A 10-year-old boy was shot Wednesday in Chicago toward the end of a day that saw at least three people slain and 20 others wounded, police and local media said.
The boy was standing on North Waller Avenue just before 8 p.m. when a group of men on a nearby street corner began fighting, said Officer Hector Alfaro, a Chicago Police Department spokesman.
During the melee, one of the men pulled out a handgun and opened fire, Alfaro said.
"I'm assuming he was shooting at the other individuals," he added. "He wasn't shooting at the child."
The boy was wounded in the right buttock and taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, Alfaro said. No information about his condition was available early Thursday, though Alfaro said he believed the child was "stable."
Chicago detectives were continuing their investigation Thursday, and no arrests had been made, Alfaro said.
The city's first 80-degree day in seven months brought a wave of violence, with an average of one per hour at one point, NBCChicago.com reported.
Three cases were fatal, according to NBCChicago.com:
A man in his 30s was found dead in an alley in the 1900 block of South Drake overnight. After midnight, the first murder of May happened in the South Shore neighborhood where a 27-year-old man was shot in the chest near his home at 68th and Cornell. Neighbors said the man was a father of three.
Another shooting happened in front of the University of Illinois-Chicago police station, where three men were struck around 10:40 p.m. A 19- year-old died. Police said he was a known gang member.
The violence came less than a month after the police department announced that crime in the city had fallen 8 percent in the year's first quarter, compared with the same period a year earlier, and 15 percent from 2011.
Murders fell by 42 percent in the quarter and shootings by 27 percent, the department said in a news release.
The Austin neighborhood, where the boy was shot, however, saw a rise last year in the numbers of murders and shootings, according to police statistics.
The district, one of 77 in the city of 2.7 million, had 26 murders in 2012, up from 19 the year before, and 116 shootings, up from 98.


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Listings in Asian, Soups/Salads, Attractions and Breakfast/Brunch in Forsyth
Chinese Mexican Burrito
in Mexican/Tex-Mex, Asian
With a name like "Chinese Mexican Burrito" how can you resist?
15709 US Hwy 160
Forsyth 65653
Sonic Drive In - Forsyth
in Ice Cream/Frozen Custard/Frozen Yogurt, Hamburgers/Hot Dogs/Wings, Fast Food/Fast Casual, Breakfast/Brunch
"Sonic Drive In - Forsyth" offers the only late night dining in the Forsyth area, and it's got you covered when it comes to selection!
15700 US Hwy 160
Forsyth 65653
Yummy Donuts
"Yummy Donuts;" don't let the name fool you, it's not just about fabulous donuts! You'll not only discover freshly made donuts, but tender pastries, real bagel
15735 US Highway 160
Forsyth 65653


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Pacific Northwest National Laboratory employs a diverse staff of outstanding scientists, engineers, and support professionals. Many of these individuals have received the highest levels of recognition for outstanding achievements and discoveries in their field.
We encourage you to use the links available to the right for specific contact information regarding individual researchers or specific areas of science. For employment information, please check out our Jobs page.
Looking for a Staff Member at PNNL?
Use our searchable staff directory to find staff contact information. Information returned includes staff e-mail and mailing addresses.
Take a moment to view our 2015 "PNNL Celebrates Women in Research" campaign.


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Straight Grey Aluminium, 1000h x 500w Towel Warmer
Availability: In stock
Revive 1000x500 straight, grey aluminium, ladder style towel rail, also described as a towel rail, towel warmer, bathroom radiator or ladder rail.
This sparkling metallic grey gives a clean and contemporary style to your bathroom or ensuite.
- Test pressure: 13 Bar
- Working pressure: 10 Bar
- 5 Year Guarantee
- Superior RAL 9007 powder coat finish
Our Coloured towel rails are special order items, and as such cannot be accepted for return once ordered if the colour isn't to your liking as each radiator is sent for powder coating when ordered.
The images on our website are the 800h x 400w, in the actual colour and are not a photo shop image. (Larger towel rails will have more tubes and gaps depending on overall size.)
Please allow 15 working days for coloured towel rails to be coloured and arrive back with us, we will phone to book in your delivery once we have your radiator back from the colour shop.
- Product Questions
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The rest of the world cannot understand how, after bitter election campaigns, American politicians can return to reality. For instance, Sarah Palin has invited to her great state of Alaska the men who defeated her... Barack Obama and Joe Biden.
She will provide a moose hunting trip for their enjoyment and has hired two other prominent men to assist them. Dick Cheney will instruct them in safe gun handling, and Ted Kennedy will drive them back to their cabins in the evening.
What a gal! That Sarah is such a sport and thinks of everything.


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David Reviews
Object & Animal have completed the signing of German filmmaker Francisco Sendino for UK and US representation.
Academy have signed dancer-turned-director Remi Laudat to their roster for representation.
US animation studio Psyop have joined Riff Raff Films for representation in the UK and the Netherlands.
Anonymous Content have signed director Jovan Todorovic to their roster for representation.
^ sure is. Actors name is Colin Michael Carmichael!


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Citrix Ready with Caringo: Foundation to a Successful Cloud Storage Service
Citrix Ready with Caringo: Foundation to a Successful Cloud Storage Service
Foundation to a successful cloud storage service
From an end-user's perspective the benefits of cloud storage are clear. The on-demand, pay-as-you-go, endless capacity characteristics are extremely attractive; however, service providers and IT administrators are now tasked with delivering these "benefits" as-a-service. In this webinar you will learn:
- What to look for when evaluating object storage solutions as cloud storage infrastructure
- How to maintain and expand cloud storage infrastructure without service downtime
- How to provide any cloud storage SLA while eliminating RAID and backups
- How to facilitate point-and-click deployment of cloud storage services for subscribers or employees
- How to enable use your cloud storage service through 3rd party APIs, ISVs and file system gateways
The webinar will include a live demonstration of Caringo object storage and Citrix Cloud Portal Business Manager which combined provide just-in-time cloud storage infrastructure with a robust enterprise feature set enabling service providers to differentiate from Amazon S3 and enterprises to keep their data in house.
SpeakerMike Melson Director, Product Marketing, Caringo
A software executive with 20+ years of experience in product development, professional services and research, Mike has served in roles including VP of Technology, Sr. Director of Product Management, and Sr. Director of Technical Account Management. His experience includes a variety of startups as well as large companies such as Accenture, Boeing and EMC. Mike's technical expertise includes software and enterprise architecture, technology strategy and roadmaps, solutions architecting, and object-oriented programming and methods. He holds a B. S. in Computer Science and an M.S. in Software Architecting both from the University of Southern California.
- Vendor:
- Citrix Ready and Caringo
- Premiered:
- Sep 12, 2013
- Format:
- Multimedia
- Type:
- Webcast
- Language:
- English


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Catholic Daily Mass - Monday
Daily Mass in Duke Memorial Chapel. All are welcome. The Duke Catholic Center is the Roman Catholic community on the Duke Campus. Catholic student leaders organize activities for worship, fellowship, service, and faith development. All are welcome at our Masses and any of our activities. For more information visit our website at catholic.duke.edu or email email@example.com.


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On Sunday, April 14th I volunteered at Kids Church...in fact I try to volunteer the 2nd Sunday of every month. Every now and again it doesn't work out because of the choir singing, but for the most part I'm there. The kids each get $100 Bible Bucks every time I volunteer so they really love it when I'm there!
Every Sunday there is a theme for Kids Church...on this particular day the theme was Chocolate Bunny Day. Ella had a brown bunny that she let Owen borrow so he would get Bible Bucks for participating in the theme.
Owen is in 6th grade, but soon he'll be heading to 7th grade and he'll officially be too old for Kids Church. Kids Church is for kids that are K - 6th grade. One way Owen could stay up in Kids Church is if he helps out with the sound and projection. I had wanted him to get involved with that, but he hadn't really shown an interest. However, I found out a few weeks ago that he was learning the ropes. It was so fun seeing him in action!
Our Kids Room is amazing....there was either money donated or the actual games were donated so the kids have a lot of fun prior to Kids Church starting and then again at the end of Kids Church.
Zeke was playing Skeet Ball and next to him is the basketball game.
We also have an arcade game that I think has multiply games on it.
In the back there are candy claw games...the kids have plastic coins they can use to try to snag candy.
Ms Colleen (Pastor Andy's wife) just recently bought this awesome giant Connect 4 game. I love this new trend of giant games. Kids church also has a giant Jenga set. Things are just more fun if they are mini or giant size!
What I didn't get a picture of was the old arcade style game, the air hockey table and the Lego table. These kids don't lack for fun things to do!
Ella and the other girls usually end up at the white board though. Cute girls!
Once Kids Church starts the kids all sit down and we have announcements, Bible Bucks get passed out to those kids that participated in the theme, brought their homework or their Bible. You also get BB's if your parent volunteers or if you brought a friend. After that it's game time which is usually something super fun and silly. This Sunday the kids that wanted to participate had to sit on a skateboard with a bunny, ride it to the back of the room, hula hoop three times, hop like a bunny giving yourself bunny ears all the way to the front of the room, crawl through a tunnel and give Ms. Colleen a high five. Whoever did that the fastest was the winner. The winner did it in 12 or 14 seconds...I can't remember, but it was FAST!
After game time it's worship time...the kids sing fun songs and serious song. All of the songs have motions which are fun. What I love is when we are singing a slower serious song I can look around the room and see kids with their eyes closed, hands raised and they are truly worshipping their Savior!
After worship they have lesson time. That Sunday's lesson was the Veggie Tales episode about Shadrach Meshach and Abednego and how if something is wrong you shouldn't do it even if it's not the cool thing to do. It the one that has the silly Bunny song in it. The funny thing was that morning I woke Owen up singing that same Bunny song. After the video Ms. Colleen talks to the kids about the lesson. Then the kids played a Family Feud style game with questions about the video. It was fun! After that she announces the VIP...the acronym can change every week. This week it was actually VIW...Very Important Wabbit! Also the kids were each given a ticket at the beginning of the morning to win a Giant Chocolate Easter Bunny.
Zeke won and he was SO excited! Every one of the kids had already gotten a small chocolate bunny to eat during the video.
After Kids Church was finished Ella had to have me take a picture of her Bunny. At first she made a cat, but then she added the buck teeth and called it a Bunny. Cute clever girl!
I love our church's Kids Church and how the kids have fun, but they also learn about real struggles that happen in life and how to rely on God and approach life through a Biblical view.
Side Note: Jack had spent the night at Hansi's house since it was Hansi's birthday. He ended up coming to the 11am service, but I don't volunteer for both services.


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This competition is now closed. Thanks to everyone who entered. Winners Aline Burke, Lorraine McDermott. Prizes posted: 25/11.
The Carte Noire IFI French Film Festival returns to the Irish Film Institute next week, and we're giving you the chance to win tickets to a screening of equestrian biopic Jappeloup at the festival.
This year's festival runs from Wednesday November 20 to Sunday December 1 and opens with a Gala Screening of Jérome Bonnell's Just a Sigh, the new romantic drama starring Emmanuelle Devos and Gabriel Byrne.
Director Bonnell and star Devos will attend the Gala Screening and talk about the film afterwards.
The festival programme includes 21 premieres, director seasons, a classic film selection and much more, with full details available at: www.ifi.ie/frenchfest.
Just a Sigh - This year's opening film


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A collection of scholarly works about individual liberty and free markets. A project of Liberty Fund, Inc.
History of the Rise and Influence of the Spirit of Rationalism in Europe, Revised edition (New York: D. Appleton, 1919). 2 vols. https://oll.libertyfund.org/titles/1871,
Lecky discusses the decline in the belief of magic and miracles, the rise of religious persecution, the gradual secularisation of politics, and the rise of toleration and rationalism.
The text is in the public domain.
This material is put online to further the educational goals of Liberty Fund, Inc. Unless otherwise stated in the Copyright Information section above, this material may be used freely for educational and academic purposes. It may not be used in any way for profit.


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Describe your needs below and get matched to local AZ prescreened cabinet contractors. Compare price quotes for kitchen cabinet installation, refinishing or sanding. Our service is completely free - You will never be asked for financial information and there is absolutely no obligation.
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CabinetExpertsUSA helps you get in touch with professional kitchen cabinet contractors in your area and learn about the basic decisions involved with choosing a style and design of cabinet. Our goal is to provide quality information and access to the very best Arizona has to offer in cabinet contractors. CabinetExpertsUSA.com informs you and connects you with quality local professionals so you can get your project done right the first time.
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Lillian M. Raasch
Lillian "Lil" Mary Carta Raasch died quietly at Gundersen Health System Hospital in LaCrosse, WI on February 21, 2014, after a long illness. Lil was born December 22, 1920, in Janesville, the daughter of Carl Carta and Concetta (Speraindeo) Carta. Lil was very proud that her parents immigrated to the United States from Calascibetta, Sicily, Italy while in their early teens as that made her and her siblings "first generation American-born." Lil attended St. Patrick's Grade School in Janesville, Wisconsin from 2nd grade until graduating from the 9th grade in 1936, and then graduated from Janesville High School in 1939. Lil married Walter Raasch on November 25, 1943, and legally separated in February 1970. She worked at Parker Pen in Janesville from 1939–1946 and again from 1966–1982. She also worked in Janesville at Forcite 1½ years from 1986–1987, and then SSI from 1987-1995. Lil lived on Tripoli Rd in Janesville, from 1970-1998, and had wonderful neighbors. She was a lifelong resident of Janesville until she moved to La Crosse in July 2002. She had been active in St. Mary's Church and St. Mary's School activities as a volunteer in Janesville. While living in Janesville, Lil enjoyed playing cards, cake decorating, sewing, embroidery, crochet, and working in her home garden and yard. Lillian enjoyed living at Village Apartments on Cass in LaCrosse, and had many friends there, including special friends Marion Hoch and Marion Gast, and many others at the apartments. Special Causeway Friends were Jo & Dick Stelmach (LaCrosse), friend Phyllis Englreth Ryan and Mary Jo Rathman. Her friends at the Apartments have said she was cheerful and always fun to banter back and forth with.
She is survived by her children Robert (Colleen) Raasch of Onalaska and Romey Carta of Madison; 6 grandchildren: Kevin (Melissa) Raasch of Phoenix, AZ, Michelle Moore of Buford, GA, Lindsay Raasch of Iowa City, IA, Keely Raasch of Onalaska, WI, Brian Haslanger of San Jose, CA and Sarah (Jason) Hoskinson of Lawrence, KS; and 9 great-grandchildren: Cooper, Hannah, Jacob, Brie, Alaiyah, Matt, Abby, Lexi and Izzy; 2 sisters, Virginia (Paul) Rismeyer of Beloit and Joesphine (Ed) Glass; a brother, James (Jean) Carta; and many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents.
A Memorial Mass will be celebrated at 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday, March 19, 2014, at ST. MARY'S CATHOLIC CHURCH. Visitation will take place on Wednesday from 10:00 a.m. until the hour of Mass at ST. MARY'S. Memorials may be made to Causeway Interfaith Volunteer Caregivers, Inc., 420 West Avenue South, La Crosse WI, 54601. SCHNEIDER APFEL SCHNEIDER & SCHNEIDER FUNERAL HOME and CREMATORY is assisting the family.


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The US military needs oil -- about 300,000 barrels a day, in fact -- to fight.
Lots of oil comes from the same places where the military actually is fighting today, or may be fighting sometime in the not so distant future (Iran, are you listening?)
Oh, the irony!
It should come as no surprise then that the Department of Defense is giving very serious thought to oil independence. The notion is that the nation -- and particularly the military -- must have assured access to energy, and oil isn't such a safe bet any more.
Champions of this concept are known to include John Young, DOD's director for defense research and enginneering; Ron Sega, under secretary of the air force and -- on Capitol Hill -- New York Republican Representative Steve Israel and Maryland Republican Representative Roscoe Bartlett.
There's been some press about a highly-touted air force experiment using a sythentic base fuel (derived from natural gas pumped in from Oklahoma) to power one of the B-52's eight engines.
But that's just kid-stuff, really.
It's very clear that a much broader vision exists within DOD to really go ... all .. the ... way, and fast.
The vision can be found in this master's thesis by air force Lt Col Michael J. Hornitschek, who originally published the document for the Air University's Center for Strategy and Technology. It has since been republished in the air force Journal of Logistics. It's a thesis, but it often reads like a very good Popular Science article.
Here's a quick excerpt that explains the vision:
"A directed-energy based, highly-automated force, capable of generating a majority of its own power in a distributed fashion from local and environmental sources, could theoretically provide that future. The potential efficiency, environmental ubiquity, universality and convertibility from one form to another of this configuration, make strong arguments that the force of 2050 can be powered almost exclusively by electricity and hydrogen.
Setting aside conventional paradigms allows one to imagine a conceptual 2050 force. All navy ships might employ nuclear-powered direct-electric drives, lightweight nanoengineered hulls, and directed energy armament. All army and marine corps future combat system land vehicles (many of which are unmanned) are designed for modular upgrades with plug-in electric hybrid or fuel-cell power, lightweight carbon nanotube-based armor and directed energy weaponry. Today's vulnerable tanker fuel trucks are replaced with smaller hybrid or fuel-cell powered trucks carrying stable, solid hydrate-based hydrogen batteries or combat safety-engineered liquid hydrogen containers. Individual soldiers are outfitted with pocket hydrogen fuel cells to power 10-15 onboard electric systems. Virtually all combat fighter aircraft are small, unmanned or single-seat, and powered by liquid or even nano-engineered solid hydrogen-based fuels. Ultra-efficient aircraft designs eliminate the need for tanker aircraft. All imagery (sic), surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) platforms are either space-based or unmanned vehicles, orbiting for weeks at a time exclusively on solar-generated power while peering through weather from above."


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11 Dating Success Tips for Single Gay Men
One of the developmental tasks of all adolescents is to establish productive relationships with their peer group and to understand and manage their sexuality. Dating provides fertile training ground for these teens for learning about themselves and how to establish and maintain healthy intimate relationships as they continue to mature and grow. Due to growing up in a homophobic society, most gay men as teenagers had to keep their sexualities hidden for fear of social backlash and further damage to their already shaky self-images. Some boys chose to distance themselves completely from dating, while others chose to date their female peers to more easily "fit in" and be accepted. For some, there was no other choice for them but to date girls, while for others it was an attempt to extinguish their feelings they had for males.
Very few gay men had the luxury of being able to openly date other gay males as teenagers and to live authentically. Fortunately, today's generation of gay youth are experiencing slightly more liberal attitudes and acceptance from their peer group about being gay, but there's still a long way to go. As a result, many gay men as adults remain perplexed and confused about how to date other men. Without training, education, and support, many gay men are forced to "wing it" as they mingle and mate with other men, leaving many of them unsatisfied with their dating experiences and wondering if they'll ever find a loving partner to settle down with.
What follows is a tips list of things for gay men to keep in mind as they go about meeting other men in pursuit of their Mr. Right. Add your own to the list and keep it handy as a quick-reference guide as you embark upon your dating adventures to promote greater success in your romantic life.
Dating Success Tips
1. Live your life to the max! Creating a full life puts you in charge of your own happiness and puts less emphasis and dependency on finding a relationship to make you whole. You must be whole as a person first before a healthy relationship can be cultivated. By developing yourself, those internal feelings of zest and fulfillment will show on the outside as well. Very attractive indeed!
2. Know who you are, what your needs and values are, and what you stand for. This will take you far as you delve through the dating world. Having a clear vision and purpose will help to keep you centered and grounded on your quest.
3. Examine your relationship history and determine what behaviors worked for you and which ones didn't. Identify the obstacles that prevent you from engaging in the kinds of relationships that you want.
4. Don't confuse chemistry with compatibility. While that "chemical spark" is important, a person's enduring qualities are what really help to lay the foundation for potential long-term relationship success.
5. Determine if you are really ready for a relationship and assess your true motives. One of the biggest relationship "sabotagers" is not being able to be fully present, being distracted by other needs or issues, and having other priorities that compete with the relationship. Determine if you are "dateable" and develop goals to accomplish true relationship readiness. Develop your self-esteem and create a vision for how you'd like your life to be.
6. Don't stay in a dating relationship that's not working just for the sake of staving off loneliness or fearing hurting the other's feelings. This only robs both of you of precious time that could be better served improving your quality of life in new directions. Learn to be assertive and direct with your needs and feelings.
7. Don't bail out of a dating relationship at the first sign of trouble. Relationships take hard work and conflict is actually a necessary precursor to deeper connection and intimacy. Assess what's missing and what the barriers are and determine if negotiation is possible. There can be no growth without healthy conflict; however, know the difference between that and when the relationship really isn't a "goodness of fit."
8. Be proactive in getting what you want and take responsibility for what happens. Conquer your anxieties about taking initiative. Don't stand on the sidelines hoping someone will make contact with you. Make that move yourself and choose to approach someone if you're interested. Internalize the mantra: NO MORE MISSED OPPORTUNITIES!
9. Face your fears of rejection directly. A turn-down for a date has nothing to do with you as a person; it has everything to do with the other person's projections and needs. Know that you are worthy and deserving.
10. Build your support network. Surround yourself with positive people who will affirm you and support you. Family and friends provide a much-needed source of connection, love, and fun that can truly enhance your life as a single gay man.
11. Be careful of casual sexual encounters if your goal is to meet a prospective life partner. Typically sexual release is the primary aim of such encounters, which can confuse and disillusion you to the type of men available, believing that gay men only want sex and nothing more significant or with depth. Put yourself in situations where you are more likely to meet men with similar goals and if you choose to "play along the way," always practice responsible safe sex.
©2009 Brian L. Rzepczynski
Brian Rzepczynski, Certified Personal Life Coach, is The Gay Love Coach: "I work with gay men who are ready to create a roadmap that will lead them to find and build a lasting partnership with Mr. Right." To sign up for the FREE Gay Love Coach Newsletter filled with dating and relationship tips and skills for gay singles and couples, as well as to check out current coaching groups, programs, teleclasses, and the self-help book he co-authored, "A Guide to Getting It: Purpose & Passion," please visit http://www.TheGayLoveCoach.com
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